Betsy and Peter have kept close to their love story, literally: they met in college, married in Saratoga Springs, NY, and now their home is just down the street from their alma mater. The family was planning to relocate to be closer to Peter’s job and had one weekend to find their house; coming back to their college hometown was a happy byproduct. Despite the varying styles of homes they toured, Peter and Betsy knew the moment they stepped into their now home that it was “the one.” Betsy had actually always wanted to live in a barn, and loved how open the spaces were. The fact that it was somehow an in-town barn made walking to restaurants and shops incredibly convenient, it had a space for an on-site design studio as well — it was the perfect fit.

“We’d been searching for a home in Park Slope for what seemed like forever,” she says. “At one point we tried to buy a big house with friends and split it in half, but it got very complicated very quickly. About that time I said to Jonah, ‘we just need a little house, where are the little houses?’ When we saw our house we both said: ‘it is definitely little!’ But compared to what we were used to, even though it’s only 12 feet wide it really is a lot of house. On top of that, it has a lot of original detail, gorgeous ceiling moldings, original stained glass. I’m sure I was staring at those pretty windows while ignoring words like ‘complete electrical/plumbing updates,’ [and] ‘mechanical redo’.”

Image above: “We are lucky that only a few families lived here before us, which is pretty [remarkable] considering she’s not a young house — part of the demo included removing gas lamp infrastructure,” Sam says. “And while we’re not the first family in Brooklyn looking to maximize square footage, when you’re working with just 12 feet across it takes on a whole new meaning.” By opening up the stair wall, Sarah was able to elongate the home’s design and make the space feel much larger. Chairs upholstered by Studio Four in their teal Jackie fabric, with Flock‘s Northmore Minor Teal fabric on the back.